By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The O’Dea Fighting Irish defeated the Eastside Catholic Crusaders 17-14 to advance to the state 3A football championship game next Friday, December 6, at Husky Stadium.
Starting the game with possession of the ball, O’Dea quickly moved the ball downfield behind the running efforts of Uriah Stringfield. However, Eastside Catholic’s Carson McKelheer came up with a big tackle, followed by a sack by Tytan McNeal and Waswa Lugolobi that forced O’Dea to punt the ball on fourth down.
Despite the running efforts of Jeremiah Burroughs and Isaac Corey, the Fighting Irish defense was also up to the challenge as they forced a punt on fourth down as well.
As the quarter progressed, both teams struggled offensively as they traded punts and missed opportunities to advance the ball.
Late in the first quarter, McNeal recovered an O’Dea fumble. Burroughs was working hard to make the best out of the opportunity but was abruptly stopped by O’Dea’s Rasaan Thomas, as the two teams fought to a scoreless tie at the end of the first quarter. Burroughs finally broke the ice as he powered through the Fighting Irish defense for a 40-yard touchdown just 20 seconds into the second quarter. His team took a 7-0 lead after a successful PAT by kicker Connor Brandt.
O’Dea responded with a scoring drive of their own as they advanced the ball from their 27-yard line to Eastside’s 20-yard line. A series of penalties halted the drive, but O’Dea came away with three points as kicker Owen Livingston connected on a 22-yard field goal to bring the score to 7-3 with 8 minutes remaining in the half.
O’Dea took possession of the ball once again after David Schwerzel blocked a punt by Eastside Catholic.
Stringfield continued to lead the Fighting Irish offense downfield on their next possession, but Eastside’s defense stepped up with a tackle by Liufau Loumoi powering through O’Dea’s Peyton Egan. Despite the pressure from Eastside’s defense, O’Dea managed to kick a 39-yard field goal, making the score 7-6 in favor of Eastside.
With two minutes left in the half, Eastside Catholic moved into scoring position again as Corey connected with Jaylen Keller on a long pass to the O’Dea 36-yard line. However, back-to-back sacks by O’Dea’s Joseph Fuavai and Jeremiah Nonu ended the scoring threat and forced another punt by the Crusaders. The first half ended with a score of 7-6, with O’Dea trailing by one.
Eastside started the second half with the ball, and almost immediately O’Dea’s King Allah delivered a huge hit on Eastside’s Kaz Lautele as the Fighting Irish defense forced another three-and-out by the Crusader offense.
With 3:32 remaining in the third quarter, O’Dea’s Sage Salopek intercepted the ball. However, the following plays were filled with incomplete passes due to Eastside’s firm defense, and Eastside quickly regained possession.
Eastside finished out the third quarter with strong efforts by Corey and Burroughs as they headed into the fourth quarter holding on to a one-point lead, 7-6.
Eastside Catholic extended their lead to 14-8 with 10:18 left in the fourth quarter as McKelheer returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown, followed by a successful PAT kick by Brandt.
Following the touchdown, Eastside’s River Shute and Keller stopped Stringfield after his long run to the 17-yard line. O’Dea was then flagged for a false start penalty on fourth down, and instead of going for it, they kicked a 25-yard field goal, which was successful, bringing the score to 9-14.
The two teams once again traded punts and possession until the final minute of the game. Trailing by 5, O’Dea took the lead on a 58-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown by Giulio Banchero. O’Dea’s Julian Thomas Goodson then added a successful two-point conversion attempt to give the Fighting Irish a 17-14 lead with 27 seconds left in the game.
Following the touchdown, the Crusaders cracked under pressure and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by O’Dea’s Davin Sherlock. He held on to the ball until the clock hit 0, as the Fighting Irish clinched a spot in the state 3A championship game next week at Husky Stadium, where they will face the Bellevue Wolverines.
After the game, O’Dea’s Head Football Coach Monte Kohler was filled with emotions and ready for next week.
“It was a close game, but it was for sure a fun one. Now we just have one more,” said Kohler.
Pictorial Highlights of O’Dea vs Eastside Catholic
